Try these colic remedies to calm your baby and your frazzled nerves.

Related

Parenting is rewarding, but at times very difficult. With frequent feedings, constant diaper changes, little sleep, and anxiety over the new life you're responsible for, you are most likely exhausted. And if your baby has colic symptoms, it can compound the stress you are already feeling.

"There was nothing we could do to get her to stop [crying]. I was falling apart," recalls Chalese Karas of Marblehead, Mass., whose 2-year-old had colic symptoms as an infant.

If your baby is showing colic symptoms, you are not alone. "Up to a third of infants have colic," says Jennifer Shu, MD, co-author of Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality and a pediatrician with Children's Medical Group in Atlanta. And while colic may get worse before it gets better, symptoms usually last only a few months.

Colic Symptoms: What Is Colic?
If your baby is fussy, you may be wondering if it is colic. Doctors generally diagnose colic when there is no known reason for prolonged crying. "It tends to be in the evening," says Dr. Shu. But the crying can occur at any time with babies who are just fussy or those with acid reflux, a condition some babies have in which stomach acid flows up into the throat.

With colic, there is a "rule of threes," explains Shu. Colic "starts around three weeks and lasts until about three months," she says. "The crying lasts for at least three hours." To figure out whether your baby has colic, consider keeping a diary, suggests Shu. "Sometimes it helps to write down how often the baby is crying," she says. "It can seem like hours, but if you actually put it down on paper, it may be more like 30 minutes over the period of a day."

Colic Remedies: Handling the Symptoms
"The problem with colic is that we don't know what causes it, so it can be hard to treat," says Shu, who recommends doing whatever makes the child feel better. "At that age, you want to do whatever you can to comfort your baby. You are not going to spoil them." She suggests that parents try the “5 S's” that Harvey Karp, MD, recommends in his book, The Happiest Baby on the Block (Bantam):

If the child show signs of illness, such as refusing to eat, vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy, call a doctor, adds Shu. Otherwise, a simple change in the baby's environment may help. After making sure the baby is not too hot or too cold and that his diaper is clean, she recommends the following:

Move the baby to a swing.

Take the baby for a ride in the car.

Walk the baby in a stroller.

Run the vacuum or creating some other type of background noise.

And, most importantly, take a break if you find yourself becoming frazzled by your colic baby. "It can be really frustrating for parents to be around a baby with colic," says Shu. "If you feel like you are getting really upset with the colic baby, put her in a crib or bassinet and get someone else to watch her for a few minutes. If you need a break, take one."

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about
your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make
choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.